FOLK DANCE: A DISTINCTIVE PERFORMING ART TRADITION OF ODISHA MANMATH PADHY Professor (Dr.) Vice Chancellor, Khallikote University, Berhampur, Ganjam, Odisha, India E-mail:
[email protected] I. INTRODUCTION present day. The remnants of the past and continuity of the traditional culture which has been possible in The traditional focus in the study of folk dance has spite of the influx of cultures from the outside have been marked, more or less, on the equilibrium been the striking features of the Odisha history. analysis and configurations in societies characterized Odisha has been made substantial contributions to by its small sizes, isolated location and homogeneous enrich the folk culture with a special identity of its of the population. Folk culture has been generally folk tradition. considered to be the study of primitive societies. The Odisha society is a continuum of tribal and non-tribal cultural program the source of entertainment has been elements even to this day. Every aspects of its socio- performed in various forms all over the world since cultural life – be it religion, language, art, painting, the dawn of the civilization. Archaeological dance drama or literature, bears a stamp of their own evidences indicate that dancing was a common culture. Odisha has as many as folk dances and pastime in Harappan period in ancient India. The literature of which most of them are identified as literary sources are also replete with the cultural primitive and they form considerable percentage of phenomenon of the folk tradition. In Yajur Veda, a the State’s total population. Though the cultural pole dancer or acrobat has been mentioned.